1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a folding lap table designed to be used by two persons while seated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Over the years various types of lap tables have been designed for use by persons while seated. A conventional lap table involves a board or other rigid, flat surface, which an individual can place across his or her thighs while seated and which will support objects that can be utilized by the person while seated. For example, lap boards are particularly useful to persons seated for lengthy periods of time, such as passengers in busses, trains, automobiles and other vehicles. A lap board allows a passenger in such conveyances to play card games, or to engage in other forms of amusement such as dominoes, Yahtze, crossword puzzles, tic-tac-toe and other diversions that help pass the time when one is seated in a confined manner for lengthy periods of time. Lap boards are also particularly useful to persons confined to hospital beds, persons seated in waiting rooms and persons seated on folding chairs at public gatherings, such as graduation ceremonies, recitals and meetings. Under these latter conditions lap boards are particularly useful to allow small children to amuse themselves and not disrupt others, since youngsters can quickly become bored with such proceedings.
A recurring problem which has persisted through the years in the design of conventional lap boards is that the objects placed on the lap boards can readily slip off and fall to the floor. Also, the lap boards themselves can easily slide off the lap of the user. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 151,090 discloses a lap table in which two thin leaves of board are united by hinges, whereby one leaf may be closed upon the other. Around the free edge of each board there is a rim projecting slightly above the upper surface of the leaves. The rim prevents a cup or plate or anything else from easily slipping off. Holes may be made of sufficient size to receive a cup and securely hold it at any point or points upon the leaves. On the underside of the leaves there is a brace arranged to slide and bind across a hinged joint when the leaves are opened, or to slide back and permit them to close when desired.
While this prior device does provide a lap table having a rim that aids in preventing objects from sliding completely off of the lap table, objects can easily slide across the surface of the table until they meet the rim. Thus, if the user is jostled in any way, the arrangement of objects on the lap table can easily be disorganized. That is, the arrangement of cards in a card game, the arrangement of dominoes, or the arrangement of numerous other amusement devices can easily be scattered across this conventional type of lap board. This represents a source of continuing annoyance and discouragement to the user. Also, a device of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 151,090 can easily slide off of a person's lap.
While numerous other different types of lap tables of more recent design have been devised, they all entail the same disadvantages described with respect to U.S. Pat. No. 151,090. Thus, the problem of articles sliding across the surface of a lap table and the problem of the lap table itself sliding from the lap of a user have existed for many, many years.
Also, lap boards have previously been designed so that they can only be used by a single person. Thus, conventional lap boards are inconvenient when playing competitive games since they are always on the lap of only a single participant.